Judges 6:1-10

Midian Oppresses Israel

1 ¹The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of ²Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and ³the caves and the strongholds.

3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and ⁴the Amalekites and ⁵the people of the East would come up against them.

4 They would encamp against them ⁶and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.

5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come ⁷like locusts in number--both they and their camels could not be counted--so that they laid waste the land as they came in.

6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel ⁸cried out for help to the LORD.

7 When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites,

8 the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ⁹I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage.

9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and ¹⁰drove them out before you and gave you their land.

10 And I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; ¹¹you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed my voice."

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Judges 6:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 6

In this chapter we have an account of the distressed condition Israel was in through the Midianites, Jud 6:1-6, of a prophet being sent unto them to reprieve them for their sins, Jud 6:7-10 of an angel appearing to Gideon, with an order to him to go and save Israel out of the hands of the Midianites, Jud 6:11-16 and of a sign given him by the angel, whereby he knew this order was of God, Jud 6:17-24, and of the reformation from idolatry in his father's family he made upon this, throwing down the altar of Baal, and building one for the Lord, Jud 6:25-32, and of the preparation he made to fight the Midianites and others, Jud 6:33-35, but first desired a sign of the Lord, that Israel would be saved by his hand, which was granted and repeated, Jud 6:36-40.